title: [Description of sexual assaults treated in the emergency department of a referral hospital].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe the factors related to adult sexual assaults attended in a referral hospital in the city of Barcelona (Spain).
  
  
  METHODS
  We carried out an individual-based cross-sectional study of sexual assaults treated in the emergency department between 2005 and 2008.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 712 patients (95.5% female) were treated. The median age of assaulted women was 25 years. Complaints were made in 87.5% of cases and assaults were made by a single attacker in 84.5%. When the perpetrator was known, the profile of the victim (p ≤ 0.05) was as follows: the victim was assaulted at home (81.5%), the perpetrator acted alone (94.2%), the mechanism of aggression was penetration (89.3%) and the attack took place during the week (63.3%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Analysis of sexual assaults allows for different risk groups to be established, which facilitates the development of specific protocols and guidelines for effective aid and full treatment.
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Medicina Preventiva y Epidemiología, Dirección de Calidad y Seguridad Clínica, Hospital Clínic, Barcelona, España. jgrau@clinic.ub.es
authors.forename: Jaume
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Grau Cano
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Santiñà Vila
authors.forename: José
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ríos Guillermo
authors.forename: Ferran
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Céspedes Lacia
authors.forename: Begoña
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Martínez Galilea
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D012742:Sex Offenses / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult